I love potatoes so much that I can’t keep them out of my diet, the damn things just keep creeping back in.

And that’s ok…they’re vegetables after all and I’m not going to go all carb-crazy over a few potatoes a week…life’s too short, right?!

Gratins are an easy way to liven up the humble spud, since no-one (not even me) wants to eat mash constantly.

bubbly straight from the oven

The basics are there – potato layers, cream (or milk), butter and cheese – but I’ve thrown in some red onion and garlic, just because.

It takes a while to cook so it’s a weekend/lazy day kind of meal but definitely worth the effort.

Red Onion Potato Gratin (serves 4-6)

3 large yellow potatoes, peeled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red onion

1 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk

2 tbsps butter

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the butter over a low heat and add the garlic. Thinly slice the red onion into rings and add them to the pan. Saute for five minutes then remove from heat.

Very thinly slice the potatoes (if you own a mandoline, now’s the time to use it). Try to get the slices even thickness. Grease the bottom of a 11in by 9in casserole dish and cover the bottom with a layer of the potato slices. Season generously then spread over some of the red onion and garlic mix. Then sprinkle over about half a cup of cheddar cheese.

Follow this pattern until the dish is full (should be about three layers) – potatoes, season, red onion then cheese.

When you get to the top layer, pour over the cream. It should just come up to the level of the top layer. Sprinkle over the final lot of cheddar followed by the parmesan then bake at 400 for an hour.